At the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester, we met with all of the new faculty hires in the College of Arts and Sciences. This series of podcasts introduces them and their research interests. Carlos de la Torre is the director of International Studies and is also a professor in the Department of Sociology. Professor de la Torre's research focuses on populist leadership and understandings of democracy. He is currently working on a book comparing ideas of democracy under three populist leaders in South America: Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, and Rafael Correa in Ecuador.

In 1973, Thomas Janoskiwas living out of backpack in India getting desperate for money. A fellow traveler told him he could sell his well-worn American passport for around $500, though if he were British he could get $1000.